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Toilet-training approach

Potty training, also called toilet training or toilet learning, is teaching a child to pee and poo in a potty or toilet instead of a diaper. Approaches range from watching a baby's cues from the first months (elimination communication), to an intensive few-day method, to waiting until the child shows they are ready.

When and how should we potty train?

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: Elimination communication from infancy; Early parent-led (before 24 months); Intensive "few days" method at 20-30 months ("Oh Crap!"); Child-oriented, readiness-based (AAP, CPS); Wait until the child asks. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: toddler.

Evidence
Your call
Best settled
Toddler
Part of
Raising the child

Toilet-training approach: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 5 approaches.

  1. 1. Elimination communication from infancy

    You offer the potty from the first months, following the baby's signals.

  2. 2. Early parent-led (before 24 months)

    You start training before two, led by you.

  3. 3. Intensive "few days" method at 20-30 months ("Oh Crap!")

    You train over a few days with no diapers, somewhere between 20 and 30 months.

  4. 4. Child-oriented, readiness-based (AAP, CPS)

    You wait for signs that the child is ready and go at their pace.

  5. 5. Wait until the child asks

    You wait until the child says they want to use the toilet.

Toilet-training approach: what does the evidence say?

Your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.

No method has been shown to be better than another: a US evidence review found the studies too weak to compare them. Most children show signs of readiness between 18 and 24 months, training in the US usually begins between 2 and 3, and most children are trained by 4. In one study 68% of children who started before 24 months were trained by 36 months, against 54% of those who started later; in Oster's parent survey a later start meant a faster process

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Signs a child is ready include staying dry for a couple of hours, having predictable poos, following simple instructions, being able to sit steadily on a potty, showing interest and being able to tell you they need to go. Some children are ready at 18 months, and most start between 2 and 4. Once started, it commonly takes 3 to 6 months to be out of diapers in the day. Daycare expectations, a new sibling or a move can all affect the timing, so it helps to agree on a method and a start before you begin. Read the full potty training guide for a comparison of the methods.

Questions to ask each other

  • How did we each learn to use the toilet, and what do we remember?
  • Which approach appeals to us and which does not?
  • What would we do if daycare wants training sooner than we do?

For the full picture, read the potty training guide: signs of readiness, the methods compared, setbacks and nights.

More in Health, body and toileting

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.